Unit 3: STEM Through Mātauranga Māori - Dual Knowledge Systems for Environmental Action

📖 Unit Overview

This 8-10 week unit integrates Western STEM disciplines with Mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge systems) to create a powerful dual-knowledge approach to environmental science and sustainability.

Students explore how indigenous knowledge systems offer complementary perspectives to conventional scientific methods, developing critical thinking skills that honor both epistemologies while addressing contemporary environmental challenges in Aotearoa.

Year Levels: Years 9-10 (Junior Secondary)

Duration: 8-10 weeks (25-30 hours)

Learning Areas: Science, Social Studies, Te Reo Māori

📋 NZC Curriculum Alignment

This unit addresses achievement objectives across multiple learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum.

🔬 Science / Pūtaiao

LW 4-1 Living World

Explain how living things are suited to their particular habitat and how they respond to environmental changes, both natural and human-induced.

Unit Connection: Lessons 2 & 5 explore kaitiakitanga principles and community-based environmental monitoring.

PW 4-1 Physical World

Explore, describe, and represent patterns and relationships in physical phenomena.

Unit Connection: Lesson 4 examines traditional navigation systems and their relationship to astronomy and physics.

NOS 4-1 Nature of Science

Appreciate that science is a way of explaining the world and that science knowledge changes over time.

Unit Connection: Lesson 1 explicitly compares Western scientific methods with Mātauranga Māori epistemologies.

🌏 Social Studies / Tikanga-ā-Iwi

SS 4-1 Resources & Economic Activities

Understand how people view and use resources differently and the consequences of this for individuals, communities, and nations.

Unit Connection: Explores contrasting worldviews of resource management (kaitiakitanga vs. exploitation).

SS 4-2 Culture & Identity

Understand how cultural practices reflect and express people's customs, traditions, and values.

Unit Connection: Throughout unit - examines how Māori cultural practices encode environmental knowledge.

💡 Key Competencies / Ngā Pūkenga Matua

🤔 Thinking

Students critically evaluate multiple knowledge systems and develop metacognitive awareness of their own epistemological assumptions.

🤝 Relating to Others

Collaborative investigations with local iwi and kaitiaki develop cross-cultural communication and respect for diverse perspectives.

🌱 Participating & Contributing

Community science projects enable students to contribute meaningfully to local environmental initiatives.

🔍 Managing Self

Long-term observation and data collection require sustained self-directed learning and project management.

🎓 Pedagogical Approach

Ako / Reciprocal Learning

This unit embraces the Māori concept of ako, where teaching and learning are reciprocal. Students are positioned as co-creators of knowledge, with opportunities to learn from kaumātua, scientists, and each other.

Place-Based Learning

Investigations are grounded in local environments and communities. Students engage with their own whenua (land), developing deep connections to place and understanding of local ecological challenges.

Inquiry-Based

Structured around student-driven questions that integrate both scientific and Mātauranga Māori methodologies. Lessons scaffold critical thinking about the nature of knowledge itself.

✅ Assessment Overview

Formative Assessment

Lesson reflections comparing knowledge systems
Field observation journals
Peer feedback on collaborative investigations

Summative Assessment

Community Science Project: Students design and implement a local environmental investigation using dual knowledge systems
Presentation: Share findings with whānau, kaitiaki, and community members
Written Report: Document process, findings, and reflections on integrating Mātauranga Māori with Western science